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Tyres NorthamptonFormula One is already back in action for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, just one week after the season-opener in Bahrain. However, the task facing the teams and drivers is entirely different thanks to the high-speed Jeddah Corniche Circuit's inner-city location and its tight and narrow track.
It's only been four months since F1 held its first Grand Prix in Saudi Arabia at what became a stop-start race of attrition. Two red flag restarts and a confusing collision between championship protagonists Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen ensured the circuit's debut event would be memorable – but perhaps not for the right reasons.
Formula One is hoping for less chaos and carnage this time after work to improve the visibility around the long, flowing corners. There are also adjustments to the walls around the final corner, Turn 27, to give the drivers extra space. Whether this will be enough to prevent the debris-heavy scenes of 2021 remains to be seen, although it is encouraging that the sport and the circuit have listened to the drivers' concerns.
However, some feedback that the FIA haven't observed from last year are Lando Norris' comments regarding red flag tyre changes. The McLaren driver lost out on the 'free' tyre switch that a red flag period allows and fell down the order thanks to the unfortunate timing of his pit stop. It wasn't the first time in the young Brit's F1 career when he's lost out on this edge-case rule. So, with a relatively high likelihood of a red flag stoppage this year due to the few runoff areas, other drivers may be making that argument again.
With only one event in Jeddah for teams to base their information on, coupled with the all-new 2022 cars, this weekend is a venture into the unknown. Bahrain had three days of pre-season testing to help guide strategies and provide tyre degradation information while it's a shot in the dark here in Saudi. To further increase the uncertainty, the only practice session that will give any comparative data is FP2, which will begin at the same time as qualifying and the race – 8PM local time.
Pirelli's prediction for a one-stop race came true last year, but with the high probability of a safety car appearance, we might see some drivers waiting for others to crash before they switch their tyres. It's a reappearance of the three 2021 compounds for this year – the C2, C3, and C4 are the tyre options available for all teams. That's one step softer than Bahrain, where the Pirellis were surprisingly quick to degrade, but Jeddah's track surface is much less abrasive.
Another element of the Saudi Grand Prix will give both Pirelli and the teams priceless data for the season ahead – how the tyres and cars handle under high-speed cornering. Jeddah will put the grip from the ground effect aero and the new lower profile 18" tyres to the test far more than Barcelona or Bahrain have. There are 27 corners on the circuit – more than any other track on the calendar – and most of them will be taken at speeds that will push the tyres to the limit.
With only a handful of days for the teams to get up and running for FP1 after the Bahrain Grand Prix, it's unlikely that we will see any significant development changes on the cars, but not impossible. Parts that teams hoped to have ready for Round 1 could appear here, but it will be a huge ask to see any changes based on data gleaned from last weekend. As such, expect to see Ferrari and Red Bull fighting at the front again, with the latter looking to get their season back on track after a point-less race last time out.
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